Original subtitles

COVENANT OF HWANUNG

MADE TO GIVE MYSTICAL CREATURES A CHANCE TO BECOME HUMAN

I'll give you one last chance.

Work for me.

If you pledge your loyalty to me,

I might reward you with wealth and fame.

You can take your wealth and shove it up your butt.

I don't need to take anything from you other than your life.

What a shame.

Governor Jung, what are you doing?

Proceed with the execution.

You! Proceed with the execution.

-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.

Stop!

Who are you?

The commander of Left Jeolla Province, Yi Sun-shin.

What brings you here, Commander?

I heard you arrested one of my men,

so here I am.

Pardon? One of your men?

And who is that?

Have you been well, Kang-chi?

I'm here to take you.

I adopted him as a baby, he's like a son to me.

He's persistent, responsible,

and above all, guileless.

If the occasion allows, I hope you will take him under your wing.

But suppose he's as dangerous as Gon says, what should we do then?

What if he hurts innocent people?

Then...

I'll end him myself.

Everyone is here.

-What's going on? -What's going on?

-Move. -Hey, stop.

Look, Commander.

Did you just say you want to take the man who is accused of murder?

May I ask who you are?

He is Master Cho Gwan-ung. He served as a vice minister in Hanyang

until he retired to the country recently.

Is that right?

Why is a retired vice minister

interrogating a criminal

at the magistrate?

That's...

I am not here to interrogate him. I am here as a witness.

This man violently murdered

the owner of the Century House and ran.

I witnessed it myself.

Stop talking complete nonsense!

You are the one who killed him!

How dare you accuse me when you are the murderer?

As if it wasn't enough to viciously murder the man who raised you like a son,

now you are trying to make a false accusation against me?

Did you just say

he committed murder?

There is no doubt that he committed murder.

I saw it with my two eyes.

Then I will ask one more thing.

Was Park Mu-sol of the Century House

an innocent man?

Innocent? Not at all.

Recently, we found proof that Park Mu-sol was funding

a group of traitors,

so he got executed.

So?

Why did you arrest Choi Kang-chi for his murder?

What?

Killing a traitor is not considered as murder. That's making a contribution.

He must receive great rewards.

But you want to execute him?

How can you carry out such a hypocritical act?

That's...

He was a traitor,

but Master Park Mu-sol was very respected in Yeosu.

We thought the public would be unsettled if we didn't execute him.

Why would you be worried about the public sentiment

when you just executed a traitor?

Or is it that you are trying to cover up something else

by making Choi Kang-chi a scapegoat?

Merciful heavens! Of course not.

Or did you falsely accuse an innocent man

of committing treason?

You are crossing the line, Commander.

A human being's life depends on it.

So judging whether it's right or wrong

should be done fairly.

I will ask you one more time.

Are you most certain that Park Mu-sol was a traitor?

If you are,

then Kang-chi should be rewarded for this act.

If Kang-chi did indeed commit murder,

then Park Mu-sol must be innocent.

Only then will the punishment be justified.

So which is it?

Damn it.

Which is it?

It's a checkmate.

We are done here.

Will that do?

What do we do?

Everything the commander said is right.

There was nothing I could do except free Kang-chi--

-He killed seven! -My lord?

Because of that man, my seven underlings died.

And you want to hand over that man to the commander?

How will you handle the trouble that comes later?

What will you do if Kang-chi enters your home tonight

and cuts off your head?

What? My head?

Then, why don't we demand

the commander to make a pledge?

-What? -If we release Kang-chi

and he causes trouble,

the commander will take full responsibility.

What if we get him to make such a pledge?

Let's go.

There's a release order.

So, you want to make me the murderer.

I am doing this to save you.

Don't you think that you're crossing the line?

It wasn't just anybody. It was Master Park Mu-sol.

He was my life savior.

He was my father and my teacher.

So,

you want me to live the rest of my life as the person who murdered him?

You call that a rescue?

I would rather kill everyone here

and then kill myself too.

Do you think death is that easy?

It must be easier than pathetically holding on to life.

Death ends

in just a moment.

Why do you despise your life?

It's because life

no longer means anything to me.

I've become something

that's neither man nor beast.

I see.

Fine.

Take this.

I will give you one day.

Think of this day as your last day.

Choose three people to say farewell to

and give each of them one coin.

-What? -By early afternoon,

come find me at the Left Naval Headquarters.

If you do this, I won't interfere with

whatever you do next.

Why should I listen to you?

As someone who was asked by Master Park Mu-sol to look after you

and as someone who saved you from being executed,

I am giving you an order.

You get just one day.

For just one day,

keep the promise you made to me man-to-man.

What on earth is going on?

How can you declare a murderer innocent?

I reported him, so what does that make me?

What?

What are you looking at, you idiot?

Will it really be fine?

That's why we got it.

The pledge from the commander.

A pledge?

What if we release Choi Kang-chi

and Governor Jung or I get hurt?

To prepare for such a situation,

I need you to pledge that you will take full responsibility.

Only then will we feel relieved.

Don't you agree?

Of course, the pledge will be kept with the magistrate.

We are simply taking precautions

against something that might happen, Commander.

Even if there is only the slightest chance,

if Choi Kang-chi causes trouble,

he will be executed at once,

you will then take full responsibility

and step down from your post. Promise me that.

If I do that,

will you release the boy?

Will you promise me that?

ORDER

IF KANG-CHI CAUSES TROUBLE,

THE COMMANDER OF LEFT JEOLLA PROVINCE WILL TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY

YI SUN-SHIN

Release Choi Kang-chi now.

WANGMEI TOWER

Why did you make such a reckless decision?

I was a bit reckless.

In many ways, the boy is very unstable.

He might run straight to Cho Gwan-ung at any moment

and ruin everything.

Anyway, the heavens decide all human affairs.

In each moment, humans must

simply give their all to what they believe is right.

All I can do is

to be humble

and hope that the heavens will be moved by my best efforts.

We still have a lot of time until the early afternoon.

Why don't you stay here with me and shoot some arrows?

What on earth is it?

The commander risked his own life to save him.

There must be something special about him.

I am so curious that I can't bear it anymore.

Do you think he will come to the Century House?

Without a doubt.

No matter what he does,

just watch him.

Until I give the order,

you shall not touch him.

But he's too dangerous, my lord.

It's a chance to take down both Choi Kang-chi and the commander.

If something has value,

we must take some risks.

If I don't use this chance to take down the commander,

he will get in the way of my great plan.

If I can't make

Choi Kang-chi my man, it's best that I kill him.

Did you take the precautions I said?

Do not worry, my lord. I hypnotized him.

Listen carefully to what I am about to say.

The person who killed your father

is Choi Kang-chi.

As soon as you see him,

kill him. Do you understand?

MIND AND BODY UNITE AS ONE

Tae-seo!

-Tae-seo! -Cheong-jo!

Tae-seo!

Cheong-jo.

No, Tae-seo!

-Mother! -Tae-seo!

My lady.

Mother.

Mother.

Mother.

This whole thing happened because of Choi Kang-chi.

This whole thing happened because of Choi Kang-chi.

Kill him.

Choi Kang-chi.

Choi Kang-chi!

Choi Kang-chi!

What are you doing?

Are you following me right now?

No, I am not following you.

I am watching you.

Watching me? Why?

Don't you already know?

I am worried that you might hurry to Cho Gwan-ung and do something stupid.

If I do something stupid, can you stop me?

Why? Do you think I can't stop you?

Try stopping me, then.

Hey, that's not what you told the commander.

You swore to him man-to-man that you would keep his promise.

Aren't promises made between humans?

Of course. Humans make promises.

Too bad.

I am no longer human, you know?

-What? -Right.

My mother was human,

so I might be half-human.

What's wrong with you?

What if someone hears you?

So, be careful.

I don't know when the monster in me will come out

and eat you up.

You scoundrel.

How dare you repay him with death?

You killed the great Master Park Mu-sol.

How shameless you are to be walking around the streets!

Leave this village at once!

-Leave! -Leave!

-Leave! -You call yourself a human being?

Leave right away.

You're evil!

Leave at once!

Stop it. You are all mistaken.

Are you with him?

Then you must be evil, too.

-Right. - Right.

I said stop it.

-Leave! -Leave!

Where do you think you are going?

Don't be hurt.

Everyone just misunderstood.

Misunderstandings can be resolved.

One day, the false claim that you murdered Master Park will be cleared too.

What if it never gets cleared?

I will have to live my whole life like this

and with this feeling.

I will have to live my whole life as the man who murdered Master Park.

Do you know that?

You should go now.

She's at the House of Pleasure.

I mean, Lady Cheong-jo.

She's the one you miss the most right now,

correct?

I will teach you girls drinking etiquette.

Fill the bowl in front of you with the drink.

What are you doing?

Pouring a drink is the most basic skill of a courtesan.

Will you hurry up and pour the drink?

Now, drink it.

Madam Cheon will teach you the etiquettes of a courtesan.

But nobody will teach you how to drink.

Therefore, I've prepared a special lesson.

Listen carefully.

You must drink it in one go without spilling a drop of it.

When you are done drinking,

you shall not frown.

You shall not be vulgar nor consume food right away.

All right. Drink.

That's it.

That's it, girls.

Good.

That's it. Well done.

Be quiet.

One person's glass is still full.

Drink.

-I will not drink. -What?

I don't find this prank funny at all.

Prank?

I said learning about drinking etiquette is important, too.

Are you worried that the drink is too strong?

Girls.

-Yes, ma'am. -Yes, ma'am.

It looks like that wench is scared of drinking for the first time.

You must help her.

I will help her.

The drink won't be as strong, now.

Drink.

Hey, what on earth are you doing?

I told you, I am teaching you drinking etiquette.

You are wearing a courtesan's dress.

You must learn to act like one, too.

Even if you pretend to be noble or lofty,

even if you hold your head high and pretend to be a noble,

a courtesan who pours drinks or entertains people can't be held in high regard.

Why? Do you not like drinking?

Then do you want to learn how to take off your undergarment in front of a man?

Shall we all take a look at what a noble girl's skin looks like?

Oh, my goodness.

How dare you act so rudely!

You wench!

HOUSE OF PLEASURE

Who started it?

There's no point in questioning who started it.

She splashed the drink on Wol-seon's face first.

-The drink? -We were bored during recess,

so we were having a round of drinks.

I felt bad about the trainees,

so I wanted them to have a drink.

Of course.

That's all Wol-seon wanted.

Is that what really happened?

That's what happened.

We are all witnesses.

Am I right?

-You are right. -She's right.

Miss, hand me a whip.

Roll up your skirt.

Hurry up and roll up your skirt.

Stand straight.

Who are you?

I asked, who are you?

Hey!

Get him!

Gosh, who is he?

Who are you?

Let's go.

Stop right there.

Who are you?

Who are you to come in here in the middle of the day and act outrageously?

Let go of that girl's hand at once.

She doesn't belong here.

So I am taking her.

What's going on?

Kang-chi.

Stop!

Don't take one more step.

If you take one more step with that girl,

neither of you will be safe.

The moment you are caught,

you will get hit until you are dead and wrapped in a straw mat.

Don't worry, Cheong-jo.

It's easy to run away with you.

Even if you get lucky and manage to escape,

you will simply become fugitives.

As criminals, you will have to live

the rest of your life hiding from people.

You will be lowly and pathetic.

You will barely manage to prolong your life by eating grass.

It's not too late.

Let go of her hand at once and leave this place quietly.

Let go of her hand at once!

I can't.

I will never let her go.

Don't you dare hurt us.

I will kill you all.

Don't worry, Cheong-jo.

I will no longer

leave you alone here.

Trust me.

Cheong-jo.

Go away.

-What? -I said go away.

I came to get you.

I came to get you out of here.

Before you get me out,

you should clear my father's name.

After you tell the world that my father is innocent,

come and get me confidently.

Until you do that,

I will not move a step.

-Cheong-jo. -Go.

Go. Please.

Do you really want to get her out of here?

Then you must think about what you should do first.

HOUSE OF PLEASURE

You must not hesitate, not even for a moment.

If he acts suspiciously,

eliminate him.

-Father. -The moment you hesitate,

the commander will be put in danger.

Do you understand what I am saying?

If Lady Yeo-ul can't do it, I will do it.

Let me handle it.

No.

I will do it.

I will do it myself.

You must make absolutely no mistake.

It's not just about the commander.

The whole of the naval forces of Jeolla Province depends on it.

Do you understand?

Yes, Father.

I think Lady Yeol-ul missed Choi Kang-chi.

Is he coming this way?

Yes.

CENTURY HOUSE

Isn't he Choi Kang-chi?

The murderer.

Isn't he Choi Kang-chi?

My gosh.

It's Choi Kang-chi.

Damn it.

CENTURY HOUSE

What? Kang-chi!

-Kang-chi! -Kang-chi!

-Kang-chi! -Kang-chi!

-Kang-chi! -Kang-chi!

Kang-chi!

Do you know the gravity of what you just did?

I know. I know it better than anyone.

Stop.

If we don't go and stop him now, the commander will be hurt.

Nothing will happen.

He promised the commander

that he will not cause trouble today.

And is that why he turned pale and barged into the Century House?

Can't you trust me

and his words just this once?

Can't you,

Gon?

-No! -What's going on?

No!

What is it? Why are you out of breath?

Did you see a ghost?

He's here. He's finally here.

Kang-chi is heading for Cho Gwan-ung with a snapped broom.

He's entering Resonance Hall.

What brings you here?

You asked me if I wanted to work for you.

I've come to give my answer.

I will make sure to take back

the Century House in the future.

When I do,

I will take your life as well.

That is my answer.

Choi Kang-chi, you bastard!

RESONANCE HALL

Kang-chi.

I promise I will return with Tae-seo and Cheong-jo.

Until then,

please look after the Century House.

I will do that. Of course, I will.

Kang-chi.

-Kang-chi. -Kang-chi.

It's a hit!

It's a hit!

Do you think that boy will come?

If I judged his character right,

he will keep his promise.

When he comes,

what do you plan to do next?

It depends on his answer.

His answer?

My lord.

Someone came from the magistrate.

He has news that the man named Choi Kang-chi invaded the Century House.

Do you see it clearly?

This is what Choi Kang-chi did.

Are you sure this was done by Kang-chi?

Who else do you think could've done this to me?

Who else saw him?

What did you say?

Are you doubting my words?

I simply want to clarify it.

Including myself, my immediate underlings and the servants of the Century House,

all saw Choi Kang-chi.

-Is that clear enough? -Then...

may I talk to the servants?

RESONANCE HALL

Did anyone of you

witness Choi Kang-chi entering Resonance Hall and making a scene?

If there are witnesses,

may I ask you to step forward?

What are you doing?

Didn't you all see Choi Kang-chi enter Resonance Hall

and act violently?

Confess what you saw to me and the commander.

I am sorry,

but I don't understand what you are saying.

What?

Ever since you settled into Resonance Hall,

Kang-chi never showed up.

I didn't see him either. Never.

Me neither. I didn't see anything.

-Me neither. -Me neither.

-I saw nothing. -I didn't see anything.

-When did he come? -When did Kang-chi come here?

He wasn't here.

Did you see him?

-Did you see him? -He didn't come.

To make me step down from my post,

you must provide more objective and convincing evidence.

You should try harder.

Well, then.

Steward Choi, is it?

Yes.

Seo,

roll him in a straw mat and beat him until he's close to death.

Lock him up in the shed and don't give him any food or drink.

Do the same to these two bastards.

-Take them. -Yes, sir.

My lord, I didn't see anything.

My lord!

Please calm down, my lord. We still have one card left.

Your hypnosis better work.

It will work, without a doubt. He will end Choi Kang-chi's life.

TRAINING CENTER

Choi Kang-chi.

Kill him.

SAMDO NAVY RULING CAMP

You are here.

Yes.

What happened to the assignment I gave you?

Did you give all three coins to the people you want to say farewell to?

What does this mean?

I need to live a little more.

So I decided to say my farewells a little later.

Can I ask you

why you suddenly changed your mind?

The first reason is,

I want to clear Master Park Mu-sol's name.

The second reason is,

I have to reclaim the Century House and return it to Tae-seo and Cheong-jo.

The last and third reason is...

What's the third reason?

If I can,

I want to become human.

You want to become human.

Yes. I want to become human.

Right now, I am neither man nor beast.

I am literally half-man, half-beast.

I don't know when I may turn into a mystical creature again and lose myself.

I can't call myself a real human being when I'm like this.

In my life,

I've seen countless humans who have done things far worse

than mystical creatures.

You don't become human by birth.

It's your mind that makes you human.

Still, I can't remain as such an ambiguous being.

If I stay like this, I can't go back

to the Century House and my family there.

Then...

do you know of a way to become human?

Yes. I heard there is a way.

What would that be?

It's the Gu Family Book.

The Gu Family Book?

The Gu Family Book?

Yes, the Gu Family Book.

Your father wanted to become a human, too. So he prayed for a hundred days

to find the Gu Family Book.

However, in the end, he wasn't fortunate enough.

How can I find the Gu Family Book?

Tell me.

Unfortunately, I can't tell you now.

Why can't you? Why?

Even your father, who had lived for over a thousand years, failed.

How can you get the Gu Family Book?

That is impossible.

What about me? What's wrong with me?

Look at you.

You lose your temper so easily.

You so often get enraged and cause big trouble.

How can such a man pray patiently for a hundred days?

I can't tell you.

I don't want to lose you in vain, too.

So forget about the Gu Family Book.

What should I do?

What should I do to make you help me find the Gu Family Book?

You must train yourself so that you can maintain your human form

even without the bracelet.

But it took your father hundreds of years to do that.

It won't happen in my lifetime, will it?

I will make it happen.

I will be sure to make it happen.

Don't keep a woman near you.

You must not fall in love

or wallow in useless pity.

However, an unavoidable fate has already been set before you.

So that would be hard, wouldn't it?

Don't do that to me, So-jeong.

Do you want to see me die?

You will never die, boy.

As long as you don't have the vain dream of becoming human,

you will enjoy eternal youth and immortality.

I don't need immortality.

So please, just let me become human.

Please help me find the Gu Family Book.

I want to entrust him to your training center.

To my training center?

Please accept me, Master.

Please let me gain patience, self-control,

and power to stay human even without the bracelet.

I will regard your favor as high as the mountains.

Please take me in.

He decided to be on our side.

So, it's good news.

With generosity, please take him in.

That's good news.

We could've lost the commander.

Gon, you tend to underestimate the commander too much.

You still don't know?

When I pulled the bowstring...

The one I trusted at that moment was not Choi Kang-chi. It was the commander.

If he wasn't confident about the promise he made,

he wouldn't have let Choi Kang-chi go off alone like that.

He wouldn't have risked his post as the commander of Left Jeolla Province.

I hope you will use this opportunity to learn to trust people a little more.

I have a question.

What is it?

If I gave away all the three coins you gave me and came back,

what would you have done?

What if I lost my senses and decided to kill Cho Gwan-ung as well as myself?

Do you want an honest answer?

Yes.

I would've mercilessly cut off your head.

The man who doesn't treasure his own life

can't treasure anything.

I can't hope for anything from a man like that, can I?

You say a joke as if you actually mean it.

Hey, Kang-chi. We have a long way ahead of us. Come on out.

I will visit you again, my lord.

Come anytime.

I will welcome you.

What is this?

He left it early this morning.

The man who came looking for you yesterday.

He said there's a good ointment inside.

He said you should apply it to your whip wounds.

By the way,

do I have to look at your face every day from now on?

Why? Are you thrilled?

Of course not.

Don't worry.

As soon as I achieve my goal, I will leave the training center.

What goal?

Children need not know it.

What? Children?

Did you say "children"?

Gosh, you.

Kang-chi.

I hope the path you are taking right now

will bring you fortune instead of misfortune.

Good luck to you too, Lady Yeo-ul.

What do you think you are doing?

You little wench...

My name is Cheong-jo.

I am not just any wench or girl. My name is Park Cheong-jo.

So from now on, address me properly by my name,

Wol-seon.

TRAINING CENTER

What are you doing?

-You are back, Master. -You are back, Master.

Have you all been well?

-Yes, Master. -Yes, Master.

This man will be a member of our training center from this day on.

Greet everyone.

What? Greet them?

Don't you know the meaning of "greet"?

Right.

Hello, everyone.

My gosh. I am not very good at this.

Do it properly. Will you?

I will. I am trying.

I am the son of Steward Choi from the Century House, Choi Kang-chi.

It's very nice to meet you all.

He said it's nice to meet you all.

The rookie is politely greeting you. You must welcome him politely.

-Welcome. -Welcome.

Boy.

You must have some power here.

I may have some power.

If you are done greeting him, you may leave.

-Yes, sir! -Yes, sir!

It is much bigger than I thought.

This is the training center my father has been taking care of for decades.

Without the commander's recommendation,

you wouldn't have been able to enter it so easily.

I see.

Tae-seo.

If I can't have it, I will take it.

If I can't take it, I will get rid of it.

That's Cho Gwan-ung's principle.

Tae-seo.

Die.

Die!

Subtitle translation by So-rang Kang